September 18, 2013

Reducing GHGs: It’s the little things that count

In
some respects, average homeowners are not that much different from operators of
big oil sands developments - both go to great lengths to make their spaces safe
and functional.

Photo Credit: iStockPhoto

Homeowners
and oil sands operators alike are also strongly motivated to have sites that
are as energy efficient as possible. For homeowners, the prize for energy
efficiency is affordable heating and power bills. Not to mention the
satisfaction of knowing that they’ve helped, in some small way, address climate
change challenges. For oil sands operators, an energy efficient mining or in
situ site can mean both improved climate change performance and profitability.

GHG emissions

It’s
no secret that the oil sands industry remains under intense scrutiny over its
mounting contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While industry
currently accounts for about 6.5 per cent of all Canadian GHG emissions, it is
also the single fastest growing source of emissions due to expanding
production.

Whether
it’s a bungalow or massive oil sands mine site, the path to improving energy
performance is generally similar and involves several small measures which, when
combined together, can have a meaningful impact.

For
homeowners, new appliances, modern furnaces, thermostat scheduling and beefed
up insulation are a few things that can dial up an abode’s energy efficiency.
(For a full list of ideas, check out this federal
government webpage.)

When
it comes to bolstering the energy efficiency of oil sands development
complexes, small things count too. But the specific actions required aren’t as
obvious as new weather-stripping, replacing the furnace filter or keeping the
fridge door closed.

Integrating
extraction facilities with low-grade waste heat, which requires an extraction
plant located near an upgrader or refinery, can reduce GHG emissions of an extraction
facility by a whopping 30 to 50 per cent. Most existing oil sands facilities
have some degree of heat integration, and Suncor's extraction plants make
substantial use of heat integration with its adjacent bitumen upgraders.

The
report also found that a variety of other operational and capital projects could
improve energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions. Our in situ operations were
identified as the area with the greatest opportunities for improving energy
efficiency.

Longer-term
technology developments for improving energy efficiency, it concluded, offered
significant potential. The report also found there were
no short-term solutions that deliver the large-scale GHG emission reductions we
all want.

Small
measures add up

Whether
you’re dealing with a multi-billion dollar oil sands development complex or your
own personal dwelling, incremental energy efficiency improvements are possible
and achievable by putting in place a series of small measures over time.

The Walrus Talks Energy

Tune in to the OSQAR blog on Tuesday, October 1 at 4 p.m. MT/ 6 p.m. ET to watch our online broadcast of The Walrus Talks Energy speaker series.

Oil Sands Question and Response (OSQAR) is a blog created by Suncor Energy to support constructive dialogue about the oil sands. In our weekly posts, we talk about the energy industry, environmental impact, tailings management and reclamation, water management and the social and economic implications of oil sands development.

Our oil sands operations are near Fort McMurray, Alberta, where we recover bitumen from oil sands through mining and in situ operations. The bitumen from both operations is then upgraded to refinery-ready feedstock and diesel fuel. More about the where and the what of the oil sands can be found on our oil sands resource page.